Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Can I Slip Past Quietly?
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'Can I slip past quietly?'
He had no intention of stirring up trouble with them.
The dead bodies were creepy, sure, but they weren't living people caked in grime...
It wasn't like he had any reason to seek revenge or anything.
The men who had dug the massive pit started shoving the corpses from the wagon in one by one.
"Damn... even as the world's falling apart, for people to slaughter each other like this... when there's already so few of us left..."
"Isn't it all just to survive? Whether it's the bastards doing the killing... or us burying the dead..."
"What a godforsaken world."
'Are they not the culprits?'
Woojin felt a twinge of doubt as he listened to the three men's conversation.
Why were they burying the bodies?
Squeeze―.
He tightened his grip on the sword hilt and thought for a moment.
'I still lack a ton of information. Especially on the Central Continent—it's practically nonexistent.'
Woojin had been forced to return suddenly from Ratan's lab because of Camilla.
How much time had passed since then?
What was humanity's situation now?
And what was this 'map' they'd mentioned earlier...?
'The map from the old rumors.'
If he could really reach Northern Wall Island, it might be the key clue to his ongoing world quest, 'Golden Fragrance.'
"...".
After a brief moment of deliberation, Woojin slowly rose to his feet.
'Setsuna. Stay in my pocket.'
She nodded and slipped into his bosom.
"...Wh-who's there!!"
As Woojin stepped out from behind the debris, the gravediggers jumped in surprise and snatched up the swords they'd left on the ground.
Two of the three drew their blades, but the third backed away.
That at least meant those two knew something about fighting, but
'Even their sword stance is nothing to write home about.'
And their eyes and shoulders trembled like aspen leaves.
They weren't collectors, that much was clear.
In the first place, anyone who lived by the sword wouldn't just drop theirs on the ground like that.
"I have no plans to make a scene. I was heading to the mountains behind when I heard voices and came to check."
Crack―! Thwack―!
"Voices? Ugh, that's why I told you punks to keep quiet!"
The man who had backed off smacked the backs of the two in front and shouted.
"Man, you were yapping away excitedly yourself..."
"Yeah, exactly. Why take it out on us? Take it out!"
"You little...! Sh-shut up!"
The retreating man seemed to be the elder of the group; he pettily smacked their asses with his short legs amid their grumbling.
"Name's Marcel. How about we both sheath our swords? If neither of us wants to fight, that is."
The man who sheathed first spoke to Woojin.
"Khan."
"This here's Tarun, and that's our caravan leader, Rex."
"Khan."
"Ahem, yeah. Nice to meet ya."
Before long, the guy who'd hidden far off waved and replied.
"I've got work to do, so if we wanna talk, mind if Tarun keeps his sword out?"
"Fine by me."
"It's a dangerous world. Gotta watch our blind spots while working."
Whether it was his meticulous nature or just experience in these situations, Marcel quickly took charge.
"And keeping some distance is best for everyone, right?"
Woojin nodded and stepped back a bit farther.
In a situation where neither trusted the other, it was a reasonable precaution.
"What are those bodies?"
"We took a job. No need to misunderstand—we're merchants hauling goods from village to village, not gravediggers."
Rex eyed Woojin warily as he spoke.
"These folks are from Brown Cross village, a ways from here."
"Brown Cross...?"
Woojin knew the name well.
It was the 19th village in Labyrinth Tower, home to the [White Tavern].
"...So there are still people alive on the Central Continent."
"Of course—we're people too. Even if the world's gone to hell, plenty still hang on around here."
"Is this living? You've gotta live like a human to call it living..."
Marcel had already finished loading one wagon's worth of bodies into the pit and started covering them with dirt.
"Hey, you resistance punk—does that mean you're living like a human? At least you won't get eaten by demons. That Lion King or whatever keeps getting beaten back till he fled to gods-know-where."
Rex spat on the ground with a dissatisfied grunt.
"Still better than groveling under demon scum. Damn it..."
"Tch tch, we patch you up and let you live fat, and you whine."
"Does Northern Wall Island really exist?"
Woojin asked quietly.
"Who knows. There was a huge fuss once about the Lion King building a fortress there to fight demons... but we're stuck here, can't go out."
"...Can't go out?"
"Ah, were you born after the 'Abandoned Day'? Makes sense kids born after the dimensional gates shattered wouldn't know the outside."
Abandoned Day.
Marcel added that it was the day the gate linking the Central Continent and Dark Forest collapsed.
The two continents had been cut off since.
'Lucky I didn't try going to Dark Forest...'
Woojin let out a quiet sigh, thinking a trip for Camilla would've been a waste of time.
"It's been 30 years since the gates shattered."
'...30 years?'
Something felt off.
Raoul had said the last expedition hit the 99th floor 20 years ago.
Labyrinth Tower could only be climbed from the Central Continent.
That meant raiding parties had still been here up to 20 years ago, but...
'How did the raiders get to the Central Continent? Did they somehow survive here for decades in isolation?'
It didn't add up.
Woojin asked carefully.
"Wasn't the tower destroyed 20 years ago? I heard the last expedition conquered the 99th floor, and the final floor floated away."
"Huh? What're you on about? The tower fell 50 years ago. I still vividly remember it going boom! the moment the last expedition hit the 99th."
"Pfft, you were 7 back then—what do you remember?"
"Hey! At 7, you remember everything!"
Rex snorted indignantly at Tarun's jab. The two bantered with jokes after that, but none of it registered with Woojin.
'The tower fell 50 years ago...'
This world was a full 30 years ahead of the one he'd come from.
Thump― thump―.
He tried to calm himself, but his heart raced wildly at the shocking revelation.
"Then... is there no way to contact Dark Forest?"
"Not completely impossible, but the methods are damn near that."
Woojin frowned, wondering if it was wordplay.
"They say the elf army's building a new magic circle where the old gate was. Once it's done, the continents reconnect..."
Rex's mouth twisted downward.
"You think the demons'll just sit by? Place is a warzone right now."
"...Elf army?"
"Yup. The only force still fighting demons on the continent, led by the Elf Queen."
At that moment, Woojin recalled Luen's words.
"Hmm... more mature-looking? Plus, fighting monsters I'd never seen. And behind them were elf troops..."
The unfamiliar monsters she'd seen.
Maybe the demons now dominating the continent.
And the elf army battling them.
'No way... did Luen really glimpse this world?'
Nothing was certain yet, but Rex's words stirred an inexplicable unease.
'When I first arrived the second time, the elves were too busy regrouping to fight demons.'
Now they had an army clashing with demons.
A lot must have happened in those 30 years.
'...They did it.'
Woojin felt an odd swell of pride.
"That Lion King guy should come off his island and help 'em... Tch tch, humans and elves still got bad blood, what can ya do."
"All his own grave-digging. Enough chatter—bury the rest quick!!"
The scars of the Gold Justice War lingered here.
'If humans and elves had allied... would things be different?'
Even in the game, it wasn't much better.
Not just players using mercenaries as meat shields—NPCs discriminated heavily against other races too.
'Makes sense the Fairy Queen wished for harmony between them and humans.'
Even as the world crumbled, no cooperation.
"Eh, it's not all bad. Heard the elf army's got this insanely powerful mage. Whew, tiring. Boss, do it properly."
"Making the caravan leader dig... you heartless punk."
While digging another pit beside the filled one, Tarun ribbed Marcel, who grumbled with a sour face.
"Tarun, get over here and dig!"
"...I'm on watch."
"Watch this—I'll die first. Kid, if that guy wanted us dead, we'd be gone already."
"...".
Tarun handed Rex his sword with a reluctant look and picked up a shovel.
"Whew―. Oh yeah, there was that one mage. What was her name..."
Rex plopped on some debris and wiped his sweat.
"Great Mage Irulin!"
Marcel shouted, and Woojin clenched his fist without thinking.
'She's alive...'
Even after 30 years.
That was enough.
And a great mage, no less.
Woojin felt a strange mix of emotions, like hearing his daughter had grown up.
"This deep enough?"
The two finished the pit in no time.
Tarun climbed out expressionlessly and started hauling bodies from the wagon.
Their swordplay was sloppy, but they had strength, effortlessly shouldering the limp corpses.
"Alright, wrap it up and let's bounce. No good lingering here."
Rex pulled out a battered bowl and large bottle from his nearby pack.
"Kuh―."
He poured water from the bottle into the bowl, gulped it down coolly, and yelled to the others.
"When you're done, come drink some!"
He filled a cup and offered it to Woojin.
"You want some? Hard-earned stuff, this. Lakes around here are toxic—water's scarce."
The dented old bowl held strikingly clear water.
"Come on, come on. Fate brought us together."
Rex pressed the bowl into Woojin's hand.
"...".
Poke―.
That's when it happened.
A stabbing pain in his chest made Woojin look down.
Setsuna in his pocket gestured at him. Woojin glanced at Rex and turned away slightly.
'...What?'
He asked with his eyes.
'The gates broke and cut everything off!'
Setsuna mouthed silently, staring at Woojin.
'So how do they know outside news so well?'
In that instant,
Woojin's eyes wavered.
"Come on, drink up."
Rex urged him again.
The clear liquid inside.
Ironically, its sheer normalcy felt off-putting.
"Hoo―."
Tarun shoved the last body from the wagon into the pit.
"What? Hurry and drink so we can have some."
With the work done, all three men's gazes fixed oddly on Woojin.
"Not really thirsty."
Splash―――.
Woojin tilted the bowl.
"H-hey!!"
"What a waste...! What the hell!!!"
As she'd said, Dark Forest and the Central Continent had been severed for a full 30 years.
In this situation, how did they know such detailed rumors?
Even the name of the elf army's mage, far away.
Who told them?
Only one thing could travel freely between here and the outside.
Demons.
Sizzle...!!
Incredibly, the supposedly ordinary water billowed white smoke upon hitting the ground.
Stab―――!!!!
In that moment, Woojin drove his sword unhesitatingly into Rex's throat where he sat beside him.